500 Years Ago in Switzerland: Real Live Blog from the Original Venues

[Swiss Brah]

Most users of these message boards are aware that 2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Anabaptist movement. The events that happened in and around Zurich in early 1525 were of paramount importance for the development of Anabaptism and the Church in general.

The chronology of the events is described in the small 1955 book “Brüder in Christo” (Brothers in Christ) by Fritz Blanke, who analyzed the minutes of the Anabaptists that were imprisoned and questioned by the authorities in those days. As I live nearby the original venues, I figured it might be in-teresting for you guys if I took a few pictures of those buildings that are still standing.

I will be posting in “real time”: Today, 17 January 2025, I will be covering the events that transpired on 17 January 1525 etc. Let’s jump in:

Tuesday, 17 January 1525:

Zurich had embraced the reformation in 1523 with Huldrych Zwingli as head of the reformed state church working closely with the governmental authorities of Zurich. A few of his former companions were not happy with the pace of the reformation and were even less thrilled when Zwingli did not share their views on infant baptism.

On Tuesday, 17 January 1525, a public “disputation” (debate) took place in the Zurich city hall in order for the city council to decide on the matter. Zwingli defended infant baptism, whereas the Anabaptist leaders Felix Manz, Conrad Grebel and Jörg Blaurock argued that believers’ baptism was the biblical way to go. Zwingli won the debate whereupon the city council decreed (on 18 January) that, as before, all children must be baptized within 8 days under threat of banishment. On 21 January, a ban on assembly was also imposed on the Anabaptist group. Grebel and Manz were prohibited from speaking publicly, whereas Wilhelm Röubli, Johannes Brötli, and a few other non-Zurich residents were expulsed from Zurich.

Below are a few pictures of the Zurich city hall. This is not the original building, but it stands at the same place as the city hall the debate took place in. It is now used by the Zurich city parliament despite security concerns: As the building is surrounded by water on three sides, there is only one en-trance. I also add a contemporary painting of the debate.












Next post is coming next Tuesday, 21 January. Stay tuned...

[mike]

This is fantastic, Swiss guy! Keep them coming!

[barnhart]

Yes, very interesting.

[Swiss Brah]

Right, today is the big day!

Saturday, 21 January 1525

The Anabaptists were not impressed by the prohibition issued by the (apo)state church (see previous post). Heeding Acts 5:29, they convened on 21 January in the house of Felix Manz, located at Neustadtgasse in Zurich, just a few meters from Zwingli’s apartments and the Grossmünster, the main church and Zwingli’s work-place.

They prayed together, whereupon Grebel baptized Blaurock upon his request. Blaurock then went on to baptize the other participants of the meeting. This is generally accepted to be the hour of birth of Anabaptism.

The exact address of Felix Manz’s house is not officially known, but it is generally believed to be this one at Neustadtgasse 4. You would like to think the guys were baptized in the fountain in front of the house but the modus operandi back in the day was by pouring or sprinkling, which would have the advantage of being more comfortable than trine immersion in below freezing temperatures on a chilly Zurich January night. I tried to re-enact this today, but unfortunately there was no one around willing to be baptized. Actually, there was no one around at all…







Bonus: This photo shows Zwingli’s apartments. The inscription says that it is from here that he departed in 1531 with the army to Kappel, “where he died for his beliefs”. Indeed he died on the battlefield fighting the Catholics. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Fittingly, his statue down by the river Limmat is holding a huge sword.







Zwingli's "office":



Just to show you how close all of these locations were: The Grossmünster, Zwingli’s apartments and Manz’s house are all within a stone’s throw.





Next post tomorrow - stay tuned.

[Pelerin]

At one point I hoped to go to Switzerland and look around at these places for the anniversary but I can’t travel at all right now so I’m glad to see these.

Happy 500th everyone!

[Swiss Brah]

Sunday, 22 January 1525

We now start to see the ripple effects from these first believers’ baptisms: One day after the meeting of 21 January, on the Sunday, Johannes Brötli, who was presumably baptized at the gathering in Manz’s house the night before, baptizes Fridli Schumacher from Zollikon at the village fountain of Hirslanden, by sprinkling. According to Blanke, this was probably a spontaneous baptism, which would explain why sprinkling was used instead of pouring: Brötli simply did not have a ladle at hand. Brötli had been staying with Schumacher in Zollikon and told him about his faith and baptism. This is the first known baptism of a Zollikon citizen.

Pictured below a fountain at the corner of Forchstrasse and Witellikerstrasse in Hirslanden, today a district of the city of Zurich. Of course, this fountain is not 500 years old, but it might have replaced a much older fountain. The yellow house behind the fountain (Forchstrasse 354) is a very old structure dating probably back to the 16 century according to a memorial plaque attached to it. If this is the right fountain, this house might already have witnessed the baptism of Fridli Schumacher.







Next post coming soon - stay tuned.

[Pelerin]

After they were baptized Saturday night, does anyone know if the Swiss Brethren attended church the next morning? I can imagine that they might have been expected to skip it after the council’s decision earlier in the week. If they attended, I wonder how it went. I can’t really imagine George Blaurock keeping quiet through the service. Obviously they didn’t keep quiet for long but I don’t really think they really thought much that they were founding a separate church on Saturday night but that would have quickly become apparent.

[Swiss Brah]

After they were baptized Saturday night, does anyone know if the Swiss Brethren attended church the next morning? I can imagine that they might have been expected to skip it after the council’s decision earlier in the week. If they attended, I wonder how it went. I can’t really imagine George Blaurock keeping quiet through the service. Obviously they didn’t keep quiet for long but I don’t really think they really thought much that they were founding a separate church on Saturday night but that would have quickly become apparent.

I don't know if they did attend church on the Sunday 22 Jan but if they did, nothing special transpired. The Blaurock show only took place on the next Sunday, 29 Jan. I will cover it, of course, in this thread.

[Swiss Brah]

Monday, 23 January 1525 or Tuesday, 24 January 1525

The chronology is starting to get a bit shaky just now. We know that at some point between 22 January and 25 January, the first private (aka not state church sanctioned) Lord’s Supper took place, led by Conrad Grebel, in the house of one Jacob Hottinger. Jacob Hottinger will turn out to be a major figure, if not the leader of the Zollikon Anabaptists. He is also the brother of Klaus Hottinger, a martyr of the reformation, who was decapitated by the Catholics in Lucerne in 1524. The Hottinger family was also one of the most important families in Zollikon.

So, this was a big deal. After the baptisms, the private assemblies now added the Lord's Supper to their repertoire. Because we do not know the exact date nor location of this first Lord's Supper, it gets less shine than the famous meeting of 25 January (which I will cover in this thread, of course).

The exact location of the Hottinger family home at the time of the reformation is unknown. However, we know that, in the second half of the 16th century, another Jacob Hottinger (probably not the Anabaptist guy but likely one of his descendants) purchased the Traubenberg house in Zollikon, pictured below. We can assume that the original house of “our” Jacob Hottinger, where the first Lord’s Supper, and many subsequent Anabaptist meetings were held, was a bit more modest. I also add a historic map of Zollikon, showing the Traubenberg in the below right corner.

[Swiss Brah]

Wednesday, 25 January 1525

A famous meeting of the fledgling Anabaptist assembly of Zollikon took place on 25 January in Ruedi Thomann’s house at Gstadstrasse 23 - 25 in Zollikon. The participants were Ruedi Thomann, Willhelm Röubli (pastor in Witikon), Johannes Brötli, Marx Bosshart (son in law of Ruedi Thomann), Felix Manz, Jörg Blaurock, Heinrich Thomann (brother of Ruedi), Jakob Hottinger (see previous post), and Hans Bruggbach (Zumikon).

At this meeting Manz baptized Hans Bruggbach and Jacob Hottinger by pouring. Manz, Blaurock, Röubli and Brötli had already been baptized on 21 January at Manz’s house. Marx Bosshardt and Ruedi Thomann were baptized a day later on 26 January by Blaurock, who then also baptized the entire Thomann household, with the exception of Heinrich Thomann, who refused to be baptized.

Pictured below the house at Gstadstrasse, which is on the old path from the lake to the church of Zollikon. There is a memorial plaque saying that “the idea of a free church was realized in Zollikon by the Anabaptists for the first time” and that “in this house, on 25 January 1525, one of the first assemblies took place”.